I’m going home

Monday morning, the long awaited 19th day of November. Today is the day I go home. Today is the day I will once again put my feet on African soil, feel the warm rays of the African sun on my skin. It’s actually going to be tomorrow after nine hours in the air, I was trying to be poetic.

Every minute, my emotions change and alternate between being sad because I’m leaving Brazil, the warm and beautiful people of Sao Paulo, the vibrance and passion I felt every second I was there. Then I’m excited about going to awesome, vibrant and colourful South Africa. Sadness, excitement… either way I’m packed and ready to go to the airport…

We’ve just arrived at yet another airport, that familiar place I’ve come to call my second home with all this travelling. Immigration forms, passport and e-ticket all within easy reach, correct hand luggage weight, and as always over weight check in luggage. Then again who can travel the world for a whole year carrying just 20kg. My shoes and toiletries alone come to 10kg. Oh well, big smile, bat eyelids and hope for the best.

Luiza’s family has come to say goodbye, it’s so heart wrenching, reminds me of my farewell a few months ago. Everyone is crying and hugging each other, wishing us all well.
It’s time to say the final goodbye as our flight is boarding now.

Nothing could have been better than the moment I went up the boarding steps of the airplane, the big SAA logo on the outside with all the colours of our national flag. As I reached the top, saw a warm smile from a short lady whose name could only have been South African, Thando, loosely translated means love. As I walked down the isle to my seat, I was singing quietly to myself the South African anthem.
The icing on the cake, over the P.A. system, as clear as day I could here one of the common accents I missed, the captain was speaking in his Afrikaans accent, I laughed out load realising how much I missed the little things about my country.
I turned around to Ben who was sitting a few rows behind and said, with a huge smile on my face, Mozart couldn’t make a sound so beautiful.

I’ve calmed down from my glee and excited frenzy, we’ve just had dinner and I’m sipping on my rooibos tea. I’m about to fall asleep and dream of home.

I wonder what my first South African meal will be, I wonder what my first word in my home language Xhosa will be, I wonder who I’ll see first.